Bitcoin Jesus Roger Ver fights US tax evasion charges

Roger Weir, a leading cryptocurrency advocate and former Bitcoin investor, has appealed to a US court for tax evasion charges brought against him. He is known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus' on X (formerly Twitter) among his 745,000 followers.

Ver, 45, was arrested in February at a crypto conference in Barcelona. He is accused of evading more than $48 million in taxes and filing false tax returns.

Bitcoin Jesus said his arrest was politically motivated.

The lawsuit is based on an estimated $240 million in cryptocurrency sales and an “exit tax” related to Ver's 2014 revocation of his US citizenship.

According to Bloomberg, Ver's legal team has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. They say it represents the Biden administration's heavy-handed approach to cryptocurrency enforcement.

Lawyers argue that the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to regulate the sector through enforcement rather than overt policy measures.

Meanwhile, the issue has attracted widespread attention in the cryptocurrency industry. Critics accuse the US government of targeting high-profile crypto figures to set an example.

“His crime? He didn't commit one, but that doesn't matter in America's age of legal fads. What Roger did was introduce revolutionary decentralized technology that empowers the radical citizenry,” noted author Brett Weinstein wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Ver has been a vocal critic of US crypto regulation. He has long advocated for decentralized financial systems and the adoption of Bitcoin as a global currency.

However, the government has successfully prosecuted several high-profile crypto figures in the past year. Earlier today, former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges.

The government also successfully prosecuted key associates of Sam Bankman-Fried connected to the FTX collapse.

Legacy in Bitcoin

Nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus,” Ver was one of the first to introduce bitcoin when it was worth less than $1. It often offers BTC to followers to encourage adoption. He has invested in crypto companies such as Ripple Labs, BitPay and Kraken.

Born in America, Ver moved to Japan in 2006 and became a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis in 2014 after renouncing his US citizenship.

His arrest by Spanish authorities earlier this year reignited debate over US cryptocurrency regulations and the treatment of industry pioneers. However, this is not his first legal battle. Ver has previously faced several lawsuits from crypto companies including Genesis and ConFLEX.